Irvin: Cris Carter was out of line with Josh Gordon, and my wife

Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter said recently that the best thing the Browns could do for Josh Gordonis cut him. Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin thinks Carter is way off base.

And in a radio interview with Dan Le Batard, Irvin went further than to say that Carter is off base in his comments about Gordon. Irvin also said that Carter once approached Irvin’s wife with a similar statement: After Carter had begun his recovery from drug addiction but while Irvin was still actively using drugs, Carter told Irvin’s wife that she should divorce him because that would be the only thing that would get Irvin to quit.

“I love Cris Carter to death, I thought that was a bit irresponsible of him to make the comment about releasing Josh Gordon,” Irvin said, via Broward/Palm Beach New Times. “You know, what works for Cris, when we’re talking about true recovery, may not work for the other, so you can’t make a blanket statement and just say, ‘Worked for me, it’ll work for him,’ because that’s not necessarily the truth and I thought it was a bit irresponsible. We have to be very careful in this position, given the situation where you’re trying to help people, you’re truly trying to help people and then also turn around, saying ‘I’m mentoring and I’m helping, I’m helping.’ The people start thinking that you have insight on the situation or the issue or the problem so when you come out and make those kinds of comments and you’re not in his sessions with his professional help, you don’t know what’s going on in those sessions, then you’re being irresponsible. I was a bit disappointed Cris Carter made that statement.”

Carter stopped using drugs shortly after the Eagles cut him, and he has said that the Eagles cutting him may have saved his life, because it forced him to grapple with his substance-abuse problem. But Irvin says that Carter wrongly thinks all addicts need to be cut loose from their families and their careers before they will give up drugs, and Irvin says that Carter overstepped his bounds by telling Irvin’s wife that she should leave him.

“He said to my wife — he said to my wife, ‘You know, Michael would never come out of this problem until you leave him. Till you leave him.’ For years, I’ve held it — I’ve never shared that with anybody. I’ve never in my life shared that with anybody. I was so irked with Cris because he was out of line then. His ass is out of line now. He is out of line,” Irvin said.

Irvin’s wife didn’t take Carter’s advice, and Irvin eventually got off drugs without his wife leaving him. Irvin and his wife have now been married for 24 years.

It remains to be seen whether Gordon ever follows in the footsteps of Carter and Irvin and manages to quit drugs and have a great NFL career and a successful life after the NFL. All we can say for sure based on Irvin’s comments is that he’s a forgiving person: Not many people would still be able to say, “I love Cris Carter to death” after a situation like the one Irvin described.

A mind changed by force is a mind unchanged. The only thing that can make a substance abuser quit is the substance abuser themselves. You have to want to. I know, 2 weeks and I’ll be 20 years straight. I wanted to change after 20-25 years of abuse.

Gonna have to agree with Irvin. Growing up with my father battling alcohol and drug problems, I was lucky that he eventually got clean and is healthy now. But if I met somebody else in a situation I probably wouldn’t try to give them advice or make decisions.

If they came to me with questions that’d be different, like if Gordon went to Carter for advice. But Gordon hasn’t, so I suppose we should all leave this up to Josh and his family and hope for the best.

touchdownroddywhite says:Jul 9, 2014 4:55 PM

Michael Irvin would crush Cris Carter in a physical showdown. I’d pay to see that. Mostly just to see Cris Carter get crushed. That guy irks me more than Collinsworth talking trash on Madden back in the day, and that says something.

Irvin >> Carter, everyone can hate manziel as much as they want but there is not a single football player more adored among teenagers than JFF i guess its just old people who hate him, we dont care bruh he got the JUICEE!!

As someone who’s 19yrs sober I can I’ve never agreed with Irving more. I find it very annoying and frankly immature when I hear somebody say there’s one and only one way to get clean and it’s my way. If you don’t know the guy and what makes him tick, then you know nothing of what will work for him.

Strong but sensible words from Irvin. He’s just following his own creed and still willing to give Carter more chances in the future. He’s one of those people that just doesn’t like to give up, on anything.

I get that being cut is what helped Carter turn his life around and all the power to him for taking a negative situation and making it a positive for himself in the long run. But every person, every situation is different. I get that it helped him personally but going around telling everyone that they have to abandon every troubled person in their life is a bit out of line, Irvin makes a solid point here. Carter means well i’m sure, but the same cure doesn’t apply to everything.

thestatsishere says:Jul 9, 2014 5:06 PM

Truth from Irvin. No way you can say it is not. Just because something works on one person, doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Only thing I know that does that is gravity.

Irvin, like him or hate him, has always been a genuinely passionate person. I truly believe him when he says he loves Cris Carter. I also truly believe him, when he comes at my neck with scissors, that he fully intends to seperate my head from my body! Passion can be good and it can be bad.

Chris Carter thinks he’s the greatest thing since the invention of sliced bread ,, he walks and talks like he’s got a chip on his shoulder ,, btw I’m not a big fan of Irvin’s but Carter overstepped his bounds !!

PriorKnowledge says:Jul 9, 2014 5:30 PM

I agree with Irvin that Carter is out of line for saying that the best thing for Gordon is to be cut. What works for one is not best for all.

However, what is sure is that people cannot get off drugs without outside help. Willpower alone is not enough. Even smoking, which is less addictive than many drugs, is almost impossible to quit by yourself.

surfinbird1 says:Jul 9, 2014 5:31 PM

Too many Dr. Phil wannabes.

dickshotdogs says:Jul 9, 2014 5:32 PM

In a mock draft, Irvin took Geno Smith number one, overall. I don’t believe he’s recovered.

TheDPR says:Jul 9, 2014 5:34 PM

The “tough love” approach works on some people as it did on Carter, but he’s mistaken to think it works the same on everyone.

i, flounder says:Jul 9, 2014 5:35 PM

thats a special type of despicable person that tries to get a mans wife to leave him. carter is a narcissistic who thinks just because it worked for him its the only way it could possibly work for anyone else, and that his opinion is worth anything.

There is NO reason for Cleveland to cut him. They have OODLES of cap space for years to come, and his contract is not incentive laden in any way that makes it cost-prohibitive to hang onto for a year or two, with the hope that he comes back and is a productive player. He had the best year EVER for a Browns WR, so he’s already been a steal as a 2nd Rounder last year (which is what they gave up to select him in the supplemental draft in 2012).

Prior knowledge there you go saying it can only be done with help!! Your no better. Been clean 30yrs & never went to a program, just took control of my life. Quit lying, everyone is different & everyone who got clean had a different way of doing it. Whatever works for that person, doesn’t mean it will work on another!!

I’m not really sure how I feel about everyone thinking the Browns need to do something to help Gordon.

As a human being I want them to help him out.

As a business I don’t see it as their responsibility. I’m pretty sure that in any job I’ve ever had that if I was constantly getting into legal trouble or had an alcohol/drug problem that caused me not to work I would be fired.

Micheal Irvin got arrested in 06 for possession, and had a 21 year old female “friend” stashed at an apartment of his. These guys just don’t go hard in public, but at home, you bet they get down. So the whole substance abuse thing with them bugs me. Not that they do it, just don’t play the sobriety card.
Cleveland won’t cut Josh Gordon, because he’s just too good. If CC was better in Philly, they wouldn’t have cut him. Plain and simple.
Keep it at home, Josh Gordon. That’s what they would tell him. Stay home, don’t go out because now you have 5 blinking stars on you, Grand Theft Auto style. They…be…watching….

Love Michael Irvin. Hes spot on with this take, and i agree with most of his takes.

gotdebttoo says:Jul 9, 2014 9:09 PM

As Irvin is giving his opinion, so was Carter.
They are both right and of course, they are both wrong.

annes22 says:Jul 9, 2014 9:12 PM

Chris Carter was spot on with Josh Gordon, and Michael Irvin was in the same boat as Chris.
Josh Gordon needs help the same as Michael did.
Michael had his problems and he knows that Josh Gordon needs to go to a facility.
Michael quit trying to help someone, if you don’t think he needs it. It’s obvious that this guy needs help badly.

Actually an ex addict is the perfect person to give him advice because they’ve been there and battled back. A person that has never been through anything can’t give you real life advice.

FinFan68 says:Jul 9, 2014 9:17 PM

The team shouldn’t cut him so he hits rock bottom and turns his life around; they should cut him because he has blown several chances already and is no longer an asset to the team. They are his employers, not Mommy/Daddy/therapist/support group. He has already ignored their help and he is not helping them. Cut bait and fish somewhere else

If they cut him and he then matures, hopefully without doing further damage to himself he may make them regret it. This guy has amazing ability, but he has not hit bottom yet, and right now he’s not responsible. Some of us grow up faster than others, I just hope he does not get to that point where its too late. Good luck Josh, Cris keep your opinions to your self unless asked. You were out of line with Micheal’s wife

The dude is no choir boy, I’ll give you that. But let’s not forget what has led to our image of Josh Gordon right now: He MISSED a drug test. He didn’t FAIL one.

He was speeding, and his buddy had a nice bit of weed with him. Not the brightest thing to speed when your friend has weed in the car; but not exactly an offense worthy of the scorn he’s been given.

And lastly, driving 35 in a 50, then getting a DWI.

Frankly, I think this kid’s just impulsive and doesn’t think, like a 13 year old. I was probably .09 this weekend. Difference is, I’m smart enough not to:

1) Miss a drug test
2) Let a guy drive with me when he has half an ounce of weed
3) Speed, even if I’m “barely drunk”

Let’s chill out on Josh Gordon and his drug problems. All he did was MISS a test, yet people are acting as if he has been rushed to the emergency room twice in the past month to get his stomach pumped due to drug overdoses.

I think this is being blown way out of proportion. I also suspect Gordon’s friends are losers, but if I met half of the NFL players’ friends, I’d probably think they were losers, too.

Gordon just needs to grow up, and a year suspension might be just what the doctor ordered. And on the bright side, his next contract will come relatively cheap for the Browns.

I think CC, in a round about way, suggests that “Tough Love” in some cases is a necessary evil that shocks the addict into thinking clearly about something more dear to him than drugs.
A loving, ENABLING spouse can be the worst situation for an addict to be involved with but the shock of losing those closest to them is often times the “medicine” that puts the addict on the road to recovery.
While Chris Carter’s suggests the extreme, I believe his losing the most important thing to him (his football career) was exactly what he needed to eventually follow the road to recovery.

The last time I checked, this was a free country and people were entitled to their own opinions.

Was Micheal Irvin out of line when he was on that football talk show with Merrill Hoge and they were debating about who would win a game.

Hoge said something along the lines of, “Why does your opinion matter more than mine?”

Irvin replied, “Because the last time I checked these people paid me $3 million for mine, did they pay you that much?”

Stay classy Irvin…

r8dernation says:Jul 10, 2014 8:20 AM

Actually, CC was on a morning sports show this week and said he quit drugs 6 months “before” the Eagles cut him. He then said it was because Buddy told him that “he couldn’t trust him” anymore.

tcostant says:Jul 10, 2014 8:25 AM

I can’t beleive that I agree with Michael Irvin, but I do.

luccabrazzi says:Jul 10, 2014 8:33 AM

While I think Irvin is right that not all recoveries are equal, I’m not so sure he’s still sober given the MULTIPLE chances he’s been given. Josh Gordon shouldn’t lose his job because of recovery he should lose his job because he isn’t following the rules and regulations. It doesn’t matter where you come from our what your background is. The rules are the same for everyone and should be enforced as such. Until that actually happens there will not be any true changes amongst the “star” athletes. Somebody has to be the goat at some point whether it be Josh or the next star athlete. Not Tanard Jackson, that isn’t showing the rest of the league that you mean business.

ejmat2 says:Jul 10, 2014 8:34 AM

As a Viking fan, I love Cris Carter as a player. The guy made some of the best catches I’ve ever seen anyone make. However, I agree with Irvin. Not everyone reacts the same. He was out of line in my opinion.

Irvin may disagree but he is in no place saying that Cris was out of line. I have family members who have had similar issues and I have worked with teens and young adults with issues. You can only help someone for so long without them choosing to take responsibility for themselves. While it is not the same in all cases I have seen that in most cases it not until someone totally bottoms out that choose to make changes in their lives and that is where Cris is coming from. Athletes get all kinds of chances to make changes in their behavior but as long as they are making big money and living the celeb lifestyle they see no need to change, so cutting them and letting them clean up their act is the only way to reach some folks, watch ESPN stories on these situations. So Irvin is really in the minority in that he did not bottom out completely before coming around but he is the exception not the rule.

Doesn’t sound like Michael Irvin has really forgiven Carter for the comments to his wife. Whether he really loves him to death is debatable. Sharing publicly comments that were said in private doesn’t sound like something someone would do who really love someone to death.

Amazing the number of morons on here who think this is a fight between Chris (not Cris) Carter and Michael Irving (not Irvin).

Equally amazing is the lack of reading comprehension. Carter said the “best thing” the Browns could do to help Gordon was to cut him, not that cutting him was the guaranteed one and only way to help him. Why is Carter wrong for thinking what worked for him (Carter) would work for Gordon, but Irvin is a genius for thinking what worked for him (Irvin) would be best for Gordon?

alaskasotan14 says:Jul 10, 2014 3:59 PM

Irvin is right. It’s not CC’s place. Maybe he could’ve phrased it like that was the only thing that forced him to change and how hard it is. And, if true very wrong to say that to Irvin’s wife. But, Irvin still battles the problem and has seemed to get different treatment by the media than others who have been caught using or ‘doing’ hookers and crack in a ho-tel.

stellarperformance says:Jul 10, 2014 6:40 PM

When Carter shook hands with Mrs. Irvin, he had to take his sunglasses off to make certain he hadn’t inadvertently met Teddy Bridgewater.